Medical Emergency!
by Soothesayer16
Summary: Skipper gets sick and its up to Kowalski to make some important decisions. The story mostly focuses on Kowalski's thoughts and Marlene and Skipper's relationship. More Skilene in the last couple of chapters.Finally finished!.
1. A scare

**Disclaimer: I don't own Penguins of Madagascar.**

**All RIGHT! It's time to become a man and write my first fanfiction. It's funny I say man when you think about because my first fanfiction is about two animals that talk ,from a show I'm too old to be watching, falling in love. But let's just keep this a secret between us. I won't tell your close friends and you don't tell my imaginary ones. Please Review and tell me what worked at what didn't. Like many fanfiction writers, I'm in this for the money ,but also for the fun and the sense of pride you get when you finish something, anything really, after you worked (hard or not at all)on it for a time. I'm writing this long intro because this, as you already know, is my first fanfic and will be written to gauge my skills (or the lack of them). It will most likely be short, but who knows. I plan to do a couple of SkipperXMarlene fics, because that was what I was reading when I made the decision to join and because otter penguin love is just too cute *last facial hair falls off because of lack of testosterone*. This is probably a bad idea but I'm going to just write and let my inner Muse take over, using only the characters' personalities and the literary finesse of a three year old. Unfortunately, I rant better than I write so be wary. I know it seems like I'm carrying on because I don't know what I'm doing and just procrastinating and that would be true so…. here…….we…..go……right……about…..now.**

**Chapter 1**

"Come on men, kick it up a notch, if I wanted to see this level of skill I would be training with Mort." yelled Skipper.

It was a summer day in the zoo and the sun was out in full force. The bulk of Central Park Zoo's visitors had left at around two when the temperature hit the three digit mark and someone passed out. The penguins took this as a perfect opportunity to continue their endurance training.

"Low block, middle block, high block, punch, high kick and repeat." bellowed the penguins' leader.

"Its soooo hot, Skipper. I don't think it's safe to be training in this heat." complained Private. His feathers were ruffled and he was sweating profusely. The more he thought about a drink of water, the thirstier he became. Being completely surrounded by water didn't help.

"Just one word, men, perseverance!" Skipper increased his pace two fold, just in case a certain someone was watching.

"Actually, Skipper, Private is right, at our current rate we'll be doing more harm than good." replied Kowalski with one hand on Private's neck taking his pulse and the other holding a thermometer. _Skipper, sometimes you really are too hard on the boy._ "According to my calculations, in a mere thirty seconds Private will spontaneously combust."

"What!" Private screamed.

"Woops, forgot to carry the two." Kowalski apologized. "It must be the heat."

"Maybe we should take a break." Private said to no one in particular.

"I'm going to have to agree with Privet on this one. We've been at this heat endurance training for a week and I believe we are all showing signs of dehydration." Kowalski replied with a trace of agitation. His error percentage had been steadily growing since the heat training began the previous Friday.

"Look at Rico he isn't complaining." Skipper pointed to the quietest member of their group who continued the forms without as much as a grunt.

"He also isn't conscious, Skipper." Kowalski said as he waved his flipper in front of Rico's glazed eyes.

"I guess that means were almost done men, just two more hours and…uh…and we're…." Skipper swayed back then fell forward before he could finish.

"Skipper!" They all yelled in unison except for Rico whose status had improved to semiconscious. No one even noticed they had an unexpected visitor.

"Hey guys, what's….." was all that Marlene got out before she saw Skipper facedown and motionless "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" She looked down at Skipper with a very frightened look and didn't even notice he was still breathing.

"It's okay Marlene, he's……" Kowalski couldn't finish. He stayed silent and looked down at his leader. For the first time he was afraid for Skipper.

"Kowalski, you should probably check him out." Private whispered not wanting to upset Marlene.

"Your right. Rico, flashlight." The newly awoken Rico spat up a flash light and Kowalski caught it without looking. Years of practice had turned them into a well oiled machine. "Thanks. Okay let's see what we have here. Marlene can you elevate his head."

Marlene sat down next to him and gently lifted his head up onto her lap. "Skipper, what have you done to yourself?" She whispered taking his flipper in her paw. She had come over to tell him something important but it would have to wait.

Kowalski opened Skipper's eyes and shined the light in. "Patient seems to have no dilation response. He is hot and dry to the touch. Now let's check the temperature." Private handed him the thermometer. "Not good, a penguin's core body temperature should be around 100 degrees Fahrenheit."

"What's Skipper's." Marlene asked in a voice that no one thought a cheery otter like her could possess.

Kowalski could hear the worry in her voice and hated to have to tell her the bad news but it was better that she knew. "Its …well…Its 109 degrees Fahrenheit." Kowalski said gravely, hearing his own voice falter.

"Golly!" was all Private could say. Rico uttered a noise that sounded like a hurt puppy.

"How bad is that?" Marlene asked with unhindered worry in her voice.

Kowalski first looked at the thermometer to double check and issued his diagnosis. "If I'm analyzing Skipper's symptoms correctly, and I believe I am, it seems that he is suffering from classic heat stroke."

Private looked down at his fallen leader. "That isn't life threatening, is it?"

"Actually, it can be quite serious. It can lead to severe dehydration or, worst case scenario, leave the patient comatose." Kowalski wrote down the symptoms and effects on his clipboard as replied. "We need to get Skipper better before it gets to a point where we can't help him."

**I know its bad, but you can help by reviewing. For you Skilene fans, there will be more in the next chapter(not saying much) and a fair amount in Chapter's 3 and 4. Remember, Review!**


	2. A good talk

**Chapter 2**

"Well, Skipper said if anything happened to him, you were the temporary team leader. What do we do?" Private asked, quietly hoping Kowalski would give him a clear cut answer and tell him everything would be okay. Part of him knew it wouldn't be that easy.

"Okay, first we need to bring down his core temperature." Kowalski looked down at Skipper as he spoke. _Team leader no, not me, I'm just the options guy. I can't fill Skipper's shoes, no one can. _"Let's take him down to HQ."

Rico carried Skipper down the secret passage on his back with one hand on the ladder and the other supporting his unconscious passenger. They placed him on the couch and after some searching found two fans to begin cooling Skipper down. Marlene waved a third fan in front of Skipper's face not wanting to sit around doing nothing. As soon as they had laid Skipper down, his flipper found its way into her paw."

After awhile Kowalski realized everyone was looking at him with the same downcast expression. It was Marlene, clearly the most apprehensive, who vocalized their identical thoughts. "What should we do now Kowalski?"

_How do you do it, Skipper? Everyone's counting on you and decisions can be life or death. I don't think I can measure up to you but, I'll do my best. "_We need to bring his temperature down more quickly. These fans are helping but they're not bringing down his temperature quick enough. We need ice and a large amount of it. That should be enough to get him out of immediate danger."

"There's ice in the food court freezer. The zoo started closing down early because of the heat so it should be empty or close to it."Marlene said, her voice picking up with the small amount of good news she had just received. "I can get some in no time."

"Good, we'll also need an IV pump and pole and fluid to help remedy Skipper's dehydration." _Private is right, I am acting leader. If Skipper didn't think I could handle it, he wouldn't have picked me. I just have to stay calm. _Kowalski stood up a little straighter as he spoke, feeling a little more confident.

"I can get that from the supply closet in the animal first-aid center." Private said with a growing smile. He felt better knowing there was something he could do to help.

"Rico, you can help Marlene get the ice from the food court freezer. There's going to be a lot of it so it will be much too heavy for anyone of us to carry alone." Kowalski felt a weight lift from his shoulder now that they had a game plan, but he knew it could still be touch and go with Skipper.

Marlene looked down at Skipper and smiled. _You're going to get through this Skipper, I just know it. Besides, you've got too much going for you. You have a caring group of friends who look up to you, you have me of course and you, well, we can talk about the third reason when you wake up. _When she was sure the others weren't looking, she planted a quick kiss on the side of his beak. "Let's get going, Rico." She said warmly. She took one last look at Skipper, let go of his flipper and left with Rico in tow.

"I guess I'll get going too, Kowalski. It shouldn't take too long." Private yelled from the top of the ladder. He stopped and then backed down enough so that he could see Kowalski. "I know it might not mean much coming from me but, I think you're doing a great job as temporary leader."

Kowalski smiled as Private continued up the ladder and exited. _Private, I don't think you'll ever understand how much that meant to me. _Kowalski walked over to Skipper to monitor his vitals. "Let's check your temperature, shall we." Kowalski inserted the thermometer in to Skipper's mouth. "Hmmm, 107.5, not good but it's still an improvement." Kowalski said aloud as he put the thermometer away. "How do you do it Skipper? So much responsibility, I can't even imagine the pressure everyone at the zoo puts on you. I feel frightened doing this until you get better in the next couple of days, but you go through this sort of thing every day without a complaint." Kowalski took a stool and moved it closer to Skipper so he could talk. "But I guessed it's easier with all the time you spend over at Marlene's!" Kowalski laughed out loud at both his comment and the fact that Skipper was right next to him as he said it. "What was it that you said you were doing over there? Oh yeah, you're helping her move some furniture around. Skipper, who has so much furniture that it requires that two people to work on and off for three and a half weeks? But I will admit you have been in a great mood for the past three weeks." Kowalski could hear the others coming and walk began getting up. "I'm glad I was able to speak so candidly to you. You're a great listener." Kowalski chuckled to himself as he walked over to let the others in.

**I think I improved slightly, but who knows? Wait, you do. You can help by reviewing. Don't be afraid to be honest. I would like to improve my writing skill so that I can better serve my loyal fans *wink*. If even one person didn't hate it I'll be happy.**


	3. A medical decision

**Chapter 3**

Kowalski opened the secret passage from the inside and saw Marlene and Rico carrying a ten pound bag of ice between them. The sun was beginning to go down, but it was still quite hot. They had to go quickly because the ice had already started to melt. As soon as the coast was clear, they lowered the bag of ice into HQ with a rope Rico had coughed up.

As soon as they were inside, Kowalski walked over to the pantry and picked out a large spoon to act as a scoop and some smaller plastic bags to use as ice packs. Meanwhile, Marlene and Rico set the bag of ice next to the couch their unconscious leader was resting upon. "I'm sorry Kowalski, we were trying to get the twenty pound bag, but we were having trouble lifting it, and then Alice came. We only had enough time to take the ten pound bag. I'm really sorry, we just couldn't …"Marlene said before Kowalski cut her off.

"Don't beat yourself up over that, Marlene." Kowalski reassured her. "If Skipper were awake right now, I know he would just be happy that you guys worked so hard to help him in his time of need. All we can do right now is to start bagging this ice and wait for Private to get here."

Hearing those words brought smile to her face. Not because it stopped her from blaming herself, she still felt a little guilty, but because the words were so familiar for some reason. They were comforting, yet they didn't let her lose focus on the matter at hand. She couldn't quite place it, but then it hit her. "Thank you Kowalski, that was very, well, Skipper-like. I don't think he could have said it better."

"I wouldn't go as far as to say that." Kowalski replied as he began to shovel ice into a bag. "You and Private both seem to have a lot of faith in me. I'll try not to disappoint." _I know they're trying to make me feel better, but now I feel like everything I do is going to be measured against Skipper. _

They continued to fill the small plastic bags with ice until they ran out. Marlene gently placed one of the ice packs on Skipper's head while Kowalski and Rico placed the remaining bags in the refrigerator. It was a small mini-fridge, used mostly for keeping drinks cold. It lacked the ability to keep the ice packs below freezing, but slowed down the melting process, extending the life of their limited supply.

Above them, Private slowly lowered himself down the ladder leading into HQ holding the collapsible IV pole and the IV pump in one flipper and supported himself with the other. He had the IV tubing and fluid drip hanging loosely around his neck. "I'm sorry it took so long. When I arrived at the first-aid center, there were a couple of animals being treated, so I had to wait until the zoo staff left."

Kowalski, Marlene and Rico all jumped at the sound of his voice. Kowalski had been writing down the day's events on his clipboard, Marlene was changing Skipper's ice pack and Rico was cleaning his chainsaw. No one had even noticed Private enter the HQ until he spoke.

Private realized they hadn't noticed him. "Sorry. I didn't mean to give you a fright."

"That's alright. Let's get Skipper hooked up to the IV and start the fluid drip." Kowalski put his clipboard down and helped Private set up. While Private extended the IV pole, Kowalski connected the IV tubes to the pump which he in turn connected to the IV drip. The only piece of equipment that lay untouched was the needle connected to the central line that would actually need to be put into Skipper's flipper. Private looked at Kowalski and Kowalski looked back at him. The syringe sat ominously between them. Kowalski picked it up and held it out to Private.

"Well Private, go ahead." Kowalski said nonchalantly.

Private looked down at the needle with a look of horror on his face. "Um, I don't know where to put it."

"Don't worry I'll show you." Kowalski picked up Skipper's flipper and pointed at it. "It's somewhere in this area, you can't miss it."

Private looked over at the silent member of the group who was trying his best to whistle inconspicuously. "Rico, do you want to do it?"

Rico shook his head and waved his flippers back and forth in front of him.

"Could you do it, Kowalski?" Private asked. "I don't think I can hurt Skipper."

"You're right, Private, I should be the one to do it but…"Kowalski couldn't finish. _I hate needles. I can't stand getting shots, let alone giving one._ Kowalski looked down at his flippers, which had started to shake.

"Guys, I'll do it." Marlene walked up to Kowalski and took the needle from him. "It's nothing to get so worked up about."

Kowalski turned and looked at her, surprised. "You don't have to do this, Marlene."

"I think it might be better if I just do it before I change my mind." She looked over at Skipper and tried to calm herself. "Just show me where I need to put this."

Kowalski picked up Skipper's flipper and pointed to a spot about two inches past the elbow joint. "Here."

"Okay." Marlene took a deep breath "I'm ready." Marlene slowly removed the syringe from the sterile sleeve. Private handed her the IV tube so that Kowalski could keep Skipper's arm steady. With the syringe connected to the central line, Marlene took aim at her intended target. The distance between the needle and Skipper decreased at seemingly infinitesimal increments. Three centimeters, two centimeters, one centimeter, a minute amount of resistance and……….

"OWWWWWWW!"

At first, no one noticed where the loud scream came from, but then it hit them. Skipper was awake.

**I actually enjoyed writing this chapter much more than I thought I would. Please tell me what you think. I know I said there would be a fair amount of Skilene in this, but it didn't go with what I was trying to accomplish for this chapter. Please Review and don't be afraid to be honest.**


	4. An ending?

Chapter 4

Skipper looked around and tried to take it all in. There were puddles of water and melting ice packs strewn about his HQ. Medical equipment had been set up and for some reason he was connected to it. Oddly enough, everyone was looking at him with the same look of pure happiness. Marlene and Private were both in tears and Kowalski looked close to it. Rico had a big goofy grin spread across his face. "Hey, what's going on he-" was all that Skipper could get out before Marlene jumped onto him.

"Skipper, I was so worried about you! We were all really worried about you." She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in the feathers on his chest.

The feeling of her warm breath washing over him sent shivers up his spine. He lifted her chin up so that he could look talk to her face to face. "You know I hate to see you cry, Marlene." Skipper looked into her bright hazel eyes and smiled charmingly.

They would've been content to stare at each other lovingly for a while, but Kowalski cleared his throat to remind them that they weren't alone. _Skipper, it gets kind of hard to pretend we don't know about you two when you do stuff like this. _"I'm sure you're wondering why you're hooked up to this IV pump."

At first Skipper wasn't really paying attention, but when he realized everyone was looking at Marlene and him, he was quick to shout something out. "Kowalski, status report!"

Kowalski pulled out his clipboard and began to read off the information that he had recorded earlier. "At roughly fifteen hundred hours you passed out in the middle of our endurance training. According to my data, you were rendered unconscious by your body's inability to regulate temperature, what is known as classic heat stroke. Because of the daily training and minimal hydration, it was only a matter of time before something happened. We were just lucky it didn't get any worse."

Skipper looked at all of his men, first Kowalski, then Private and finally Rico. Reluctantly, Skipper uttered the two words he rarely even thought about. "I'm sorry. When I put us on that heat endurance training regiment, I didn't think about how you felt and blatantly disregarded your safety. I'm just glad that this happened to me and not one of you."

"Skipper, you shouldn't say things like that. They were worried sick about you." Marlene said as she lifted herself off of Skipper. She thought it was probably a good idea to move, especially since everyone looking at them with a hint of uneasiness. There was an unspoken agreement that no one would acknowledge their relationship until they had decided to go public with. For the time being she was content to just sit next to him.

"So, how about some details, men. There has to be more to this than just me passing out and waking up." Skipper sat up straighter and pulled the needle out of with only a hint of discomfort.

Private was the first to speak. "Kowalski was a great temporary leader, Skipper! It was like you never left."

"I wouldn't go as far as to say that, Private." Kowalski said, trying not to smile at the compliment.

"No, it's true! You knew exactly what to do. You analyzed the situation, came up with a plan, and executed it. Skipper is all better now, thanks to you, Kowalski."

Skipper stood up and gave Kowalski a pat on the back. "From what Private is telling me, it seems like you've got real leadership potential. Maybe I should let you lead a mission every once in a while. Besides, I could use a break. Moving furniture can really tire a penguin out."

"Good job, Kowalski!" said Marlene. She started a round of applause and everyone followed suit.

Kowalski turned to face everyone and cleared his throat. "I appreciate it, but I'm in no rush to assume a leadership role again. But, I do have one thing I need to say before I return leadership back to Skipper. Thank you, Private, Marlene and Rico. You were willing to trust me and believe in my ability when I didn't believe in myself. Without you, this wouldn't have gone as smoothly as it did. I truly believe that a leader's strength lies in those he or she leads."

The clapping increased significantly after Kowalski's heartfelt words, but died down when Skipper began to speak. "Spoken like a true leader. I'm proud of you, and proud to call you my friend."

"That means a lot to me, coming from you." Kowalski could hear the clock chime in the background as he spoke. It was nine o'clock. He looked at Skipper, then toward the clock, and then back to Skipper. "I know my leadership role is at an end for the time being, but do you think I could….."

Skipper responded without needing to hear him finish. "Of course. I would be honored to have you lead night recon. I guess I'll have to stay here with Marlene while you guys have all the fun."

"I think we'll be able to find something to do while they're gone." Marlene said in a mischievous voice Skipper knew all too well.

Everyone stood silent, not knowing how to or wanting to respond. It was Kowalski that ended the awkward silence. "I guess we'll be going then." He uttered a nervous laugh, and exited the HQ as if his life depended on it with Rico and Private right behind him.

After hearing the secret entrance close, Skipper turned to Marlene. "So, it looks like we're all alone."

_Oh, no! I've been dreading this all day._ "Yep, I guess so." Marlene began regretting her decision to make that suggestive comment. She couldn't really say something like that and then leave.

"What's wrong, Marlene? You seem really tense." Skipper put his arm around her shoulders in an attempt to comfort her. "You know, you can talk to me about anything."

Marlene blurted it out without think. "We need to talk!"

_Oh God, she's going to break up with me! I thought things were going well. _"Is it something I did? I'm sorry I forgot to call you last night like I said I would. Sometimes it gets really busy around here and things just slip my mind. If I did anything wrong, just let me know." He reached over and held her paw as he spoke. "I want to make this right."

_Look what you did now, Marlene. He's beating himself up over this. "_No, you didn't do anything wrong."

"Please, Marlene, tell me what's the matter."

She turned away from him, not wanting to see his reaction when she spoke. "Skipper, I'm pregnant!"

"You are?" was all Skipper could say.

Marlene closed her eyes and braced herself for the barrage of questions and accusations, but none came. She turned around to look at him, hoping to explain why she hadn't told him as soon as she found out. But she didn't need to.

For the second time that day, Skipper had fainted.

**Please tell me what you think. I was most afraid of what people would think about the ending, so please review. I need feedback so that I can get started on the sequel. If you didn't like the ending or think the story should be a standalone, I'd like to know what didn't work and what did. Like always don't be afraid to be honest.**

**END?**


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